blackfoot-valley

born on the Emerald Isle and a number already second or third generation Americans. A nucleus had been formed here that drew others of Irish origin. Many had been attracted by the mining employment opportunities in Butte; some of those, seeking a quieter and more independent life, moved on once they had built up a stake. Those who homesteaded in the Nevada Valley and elsewhere were a particularly self-reliant lot. The great Irish migration to America was a result of a long agricul- tural boom followed by a sudden bust. The introduction of the potato from Spanish Peru in the 1500s greatly multiplied Ireland’s food production, and the adoption of the so-called “Irish Potato” as the staple food resulted in a population explosion that lasted 250 years. At this time, Ireland’s population zoomed sevenfold from 1 1/4 million in 1600 to 8 1/2 million in 1840. Sud- denly, a fungal blight virtually destroyed the crop in 1845 and 1846. Between 1845 and 1851 nearly one million Irish died of starvation and another 1.5 million emigrated during that time. The largest number came to the United States. Other countries such as Canada, Australia, England, and Latin Amer- ica also saw an influx of Irish immigrants. Irish continued to flee their home- land’s privation through the rest of the century. By 1900, its population had hit a new low of 4 1/2 million, a net decline of nearly 50% in little more than 50 years, despite millions of births in the meantime. During this time, they even abandoned their ancestral language. Gaelic barely survives today as the primary spoken language in a few fringe Atlantic coastal areas. “Helmville Cemetary” 119